Liquid dispensing apparatus



June 22, 1937.

I R. E. RlssER LIQUID DISPENSING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Nov. 2, 1936 June 22, 1937. R. E. RlssER LIQUWID DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 2. 1936 2 sheets-sheet 2 E] [E] [D BMUUNT rms Manns:

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El l@ E snLL ons Patented June 22, f 193? UNITED S'iAiiliS iihriEllil'E GFFHQE LQlUlD DISPENSENG APRATUS Ross E. Risser, Bonham, '.lex Application November 2, 1936, Serial No. 108,7l3

6 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in liquid dispensing apparatus.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus, particularly adapted for use with the usual liquid dispenser for relieving the pressure which has formed in the dispensing system due to vaporization or thermal expansion of the liquid.

An important object of the invention is to provide improved means operating at or near the highest point in a closed liquid dispensing system, whereby abnormal pressure which may develop due to vaporization or thermal expansion of the liquid in said system, is relieved; thereby lo eliminating the possibility of such abnormal pressure emptying the lines of said system by forcing the liquid therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved pressure relief apparatus for the usual liquid dispensing system, which is arranged to remain vclosed during the normal operation of the dispenser and is adapted to automatically open when the pressure resulting from vaporiza tion and also from the thermal expansion of the liquid, reaches a predetermined point.

A further object of the invention is to provide Yan improved pressure relief apparatus, which is connected in the system of an ordinary liquid dispenser, at or near the highest point thereof,

said apparatus having an outlet which is so arv ranged that any vapor passing through the apparatus may escape to atmosphere, while any liquid Which is forced through the apparatus by an abnormal pressure is conducted back into the system. k

yA construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described, together with other features of the invention.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specication and by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which an example of the invention is shown, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a view partly in vertical section F and partly in elevation of an ordinary gasoline dispensing pump, having a relief valve, constructed in accordance with the invention connected therein,

Figure 2 is a horizontal, cross-sectional View, taken on the line 2 2 of Figure l,

Figure 3 is an enlarged, transverse, vertical, sectional view, taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 and showing the side of the valve opposite that 55v shown in Figure 1,

(Cl. Mln-95) Figure 4 is a vertical, sectional View, taken on the line 4 4 of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is an enlarged, sectional View of the valve,

Figure 6 is an enlarged, detail view of the usual check and relief valve,

Figure 7 is an elevation of the upper end of another form of gasoline pump, having the inention applied thereto, and

Figure 8 is an enlarged elevation of the visigauge of this pump and showing the vapor relier valve connected thereto.

in the drawings, the numeral I ll designates the casing or shell of an ordinary gasoline dispenser. The shell encloses the entire pumping and metering mechanism, being mounted on a suitable base i i. The particular mechanism of the dispenser forms no part of the present invention and, therefore, is subject to variation.

For purposes of illustration, the dispenser is shown as including the vertical line I2 which has its lower end leading from the suction pump (not shown) which draws the gasoline from the usual storage tank, while the upper end of said line is connected to the lower end of the air separator i3. The usual air eliminator l 4 is mounted above the separator and has a vent tube I 4 leading from its upper end, as will be explained. From the separator, the gasoline flows through the el bow I5 and upwardly through a vertical line i5. From the upper end of the line I5, the gasoline is conducted by suitable elbows and pipes i5 through the usual visigauges I'I (Figure 2) and iinaily to a laterally extending pipe I8, which pipe has its outer end projecting through the wall of the shell or casing I0. rI'his projecting end has the usual elbow I9, to which one end of the discharge hose 20 is secured. The opposite end of the hose is provided with the usual control valve ZI and discharge nozzle 22, the nozzle being adapted to be inserted in the usual inclined, cylindrical nozzle boot or sleeve 23 when the hose is not in use.

A check valve 24 is connected in the vertical line I5 near the lower end thereof and this valve is arranged to permit an upward ilow, but not a downward flow through said line. Incorporated in the check valve 24 is a pressure relief valve 25 so that in the event that the pressure between the valve 24 and the discharge hose becomes excessive, this relief valve opens to permit the gasoline in the lines thereabo've to :flow back to the separator.

As above described, it is obvious that the gasoline is pumped into the separator I 3, through an elbow l5', line 5, past the valve 24 which is unseated upwardly, through the elbows and pipes l, Visigauges l?, and nally through the pipe E8 to the discharge hose 2li. As soon as the dispensing of the gasoline is stopped and the control valve 2l at the nozzle 22 cut olf, the check valve 24 is seated to trap gasoline in the system between said valve 24 and the nozzle. This gason line cannot escape unless the pressure becomes excessive above the pressure relief valve 1&5, at which time the valve is forced open and the gasoline forced back into the separator. The above parts are all of the usual construction and are, therefore, subject to variation.

It has been round that pressure is formed by vaporization due to high atmospheric temperatures and also by thermal expansion of the gasoline which is trapped in the system between the check valve 2li and discharge nozzle. This pressure is, of course, built up when the pump is not operating and the vapor rises to the highest point of the lines in which it is trapped, such point being adjacent the elbow' i9 to which the hose 2li is attached. The pressure continues to build up in the elbows and pipes it, line l5 and hose 2li. If the control valve 2l at the nozzle holds, then the pressure relief valve 25 is opened. Many times, however, the excessive pressure causes the control valve El to leak.

The opening of the relief valve 25 causes the pressure to force the gasoline from the piping and visigauges il downwardly through the line iii and back to the separator i3. From the separator, the liquid is forced into the eliminator M- and through the lvent tube M thereof. The outer end of the tube it' is vented to atmosphere, whereby the gasoline forced from the system is wasted, running down the exterior surface of the shell l@ and creating a i'lre hazard. Eventually, the pressure will entirely empty the visgauges ll' and line l5. Further, the excessive pressure against the hose 2li and control valve 2l is undesirable. Thus, it will be seen that the relieiE valve 25 will relieve abnormal or excessive pressure, but due to its location, is disadvantageous because it not only permits the system to be emptied of gasoline, but also permits a waste of gasoline.

For relieving the pressure of the vapor trapped between the hose 2li and check valve 2e, a vapor relief valve 3U is connectedv in the lateral pipe i8 and is substituted for the usual relief valve 25, which is eliminated from the valve 2d. The valve 3@ is preferably mounted at the outer end of said pipe, being located just within the shell or casing it. The valve includes a valve body 3l (Figure 5) which has its upper end curved upwardly at its central portion, as shown at Si', whereby this portion is in a plane above the pipe i8 and elbow i9. A collar 32 is formed at the lower end of the valve and this collar is internally screw-threaded. An elongate sleeve 33 inserted through the collar to extend vertically within the valve body, the lower portion 33 of said sleeve being externally threaded so as to screw into the collar 32.

The upper end of the sleeve 33 is closed except for a reduced axial port or opening 3d. A conical valve member 35 is located within the sleeve and is adapted to engage in the opening 3Q to control the same. The member is normally held in its seated position by a coiled spring 38 which is mounted within the bore or" the sleeve, being confined between the lower end of the member 35 and a plug 3l which is threaded into the lower end of the bore of said sleeve. The plug is formed with an axial bore or opening 33, which extends entirely therethrough, whereby communication between the bore of the sleeve above the plug and that portion of the bore of said sleeve below the plug, is established.

The extreme lower end of the sleeve 33 is formed with an enlarged head ES provided with internal screw threads for receiving one end of an elbow fi@ (Figure 3). The other end of the elbow is connected to the upper end of a vertical conductor Lil, which has its lower end connected to the upper end of and depending downwardly through the vertical 1eg of a T connection 42 (Figure 4). The opposite end of said leg is connected to the upper end oi the vent tube lli of the air eliminator, and the conductor 4l 'is of suflicient length to extend axially within the upper portion of the tube l. It is noted that both the tube and T have a greater diameter than the conductor, as clearly shown .in Figure 4.

The lateral leg 42 of the T is connected to an opening 133 which is provided in the side of the nozzle boot or sleeve 2t, which boot is open to the atmosphere. A suitable screen le covers the opening 43 to prevent dirt and other extrane ous matter, entering the T 42 and tube lll. With this arrangement, it will be seen that air rising from the air eliminator lil may pass through the tube it', upwardly around the lower end of the conductor di and outwardly to atmosphere from the T connection d2 through the boot or sleeve 23. Vapor passing downwardly through the conductor il is released from the lower end thereof into the upper end of the tube Hl', from which it escapes to the atmosphere through the T @Zand boot 23. Any gasoline which may escape through the conductor will, of course, drop downwardly intol the eliminator Hl, from whereI it can be conducted by a return line 45 (Figure l) back to the suction pump (not shown).

During the normal operation of the dispensing pump, the valve member 34 remains in its seated position, because the pressure of the coiled spring Sii is sufficient to resist this pump pressure. Therefore, the valve 3E? is inoperative during the normal operation of the pump and does not in any way interfere with the dispensing of the gasoline, said gasoline passing around the sleeve 33 and out through the hose 2i). When the pump is not operating, the nozzle 22 is placed within the nozzle boot or sleeve 23, the outer end of the hose being supported by the usual bracket IG provided for this purpose. At this time, as has been explained, the control valve 2i at the nozzle and the check valve 24, are closed, whereby gasoline is trapped therebetween.

When the atmospheric temperature is sufficiently high, vaporization of the gasoline occurs and the vapor will, of course, rise to the highest point in the lines wherein said gasoline is trapped. This highest point is the upwardly extended top of the valve body 3l adjacent the valve member 35. The vaporization, together with the thermal expansion of the gasoline, will build up a pressure in` the lines between the nozzle valve 2l and check valve 2d, and when a predetermined pressure in the valve body 3! is reached, the valve member 35 is moved downwardly under tension of the spring 35, whereby the axial opening ll in the sleeve 33 is uncovered and the pressure relieved. Any vapor which may have formed is permitted to escape downf the plug 31, and into the conductor 4I.

wardly through the bore sleeve 33, port 38 in As has been explained, the vapor released from the lower open end of the conductor rises into the T 42, from where it escapes to atmosphere through the screened opening 43 and boot 42. Any gasoline which is expelled through the sleeve 33 merely falls from the conductor 4I into the vent tube I4' and is thereby conducted to the eliminator I4, and then through the return 45 to the suction pump (not shown).

Therefore, it will be seen that the vapor is taken from the system at its point of accumulation and an abnormal pressure, due either to vaporization or thermal expansion of the gasoline, which otherwise would entirely empty the piping I6, visigauges I1, and line I5, and result in a waste of gasoline, is prevented. It is noted that although it is preferable to mount the pressure relief valve at the highest point in that portion of the system wherein gasoline is trapped when the pump is not operating, it is not absolutely essential. So long as said valve is located sufliciently close to prevent forcing the gasoline y from the lines of the system, the purposes of the invention are accomplished.

In Figures 1 to 6, the invention has been shown as applied to an ordinary dispenser including the usual air eliminator and separator. Many dispensers do not have these parts and, obviously, they form no! part of the invention per se. If an eliminator is not employed, then the ccnductor 4I couldhave its lower end entering any suitable tube, which would conduct the gasoline entering the same back to the suction pump or the original source of supply.

The dispenser shown in Figures 1 to 6 is one wherein the visigau'ges I1 are located in the wall of the shell IU. In many instances only a single exterior visigauge is provided. Such a structure is shown in Figures 7 and 8, wherein an exterior visigauge 50 is substituted for the elbow I9, which is secured to the extending end of the lateral pipe I8. With this arrangement, the upper end of the visigauge 5B is the highest point of that portion of the system wherein gasoline is trapped, and, therefore, the valve 30 is preferably mounted thereabove. In this instance, the structure of the valve is exactly the same and Y has one end connected by an elbow 5I with the top of the gauge. 'I'he opposite end of the valve is closed by a plug 52, while the conductor 4I leads from the lower end of the valve body, as in the other form. The operation of the valve is exactly the same as hereinbefore described, the valve 3B opening when the pressure reaches a predetermined point.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. As a subcombination in a liquid dispensing apparatus, a valve including, a valve body adapted to be connected in the dispensing line of a liquid dispensing apparatus, a sleeve extending vertically within the body and having its lower end extending from the body, said sleeve having a reduced opening at its upper end, and a springpressed valve member for controlling the flow through said opening and sleeve.

2. As a sub-combination in a liquid dispensing apparatus, a Valve including, a valve body adapted to be connected in the dispensing line of said dispensing apparatus, a sleeve extending vertically within the body and having its lower end extending from the body, said sleeve having a reduced opening at its upper end, and a springpressed valve member for controlling the flow through said opening and sleeve the member being inactive during the normal operation of the dispensing pump.

3. A liquid dispensing apparatus of the character described, including, a closed dispensing line under pump pressure leading from a source of liquid supply through metering means to a valve controlled discharge nozzle, a check valve in the line between the metering means and discharge nozzle for maintaining a predetermined volume of liquid in the dispensing line, and a relief valve located in said line at the highest point therein between said check valve and said nozzle acting to liberate vapor and excess liquid above the normal highest liquid level in the line whereby to relieve abnormal pressure and maintain the normal volume of liquid in the line.

4. In a closed discharge line for a liquid dispensing apparatus of the character described, containing a predetermined volume of liquid maintained at a given normal pressure in the line, a check valve at the supply end of the line, a valve controlled nozzle at the discharge end of the line, and a pressure relief valve comprising a valve body located in the highest part of the line between said check valve and valve controlled nozzle and having a hollow portion raised above the highest normal liquid level of the line and an outlet tube extended upwardly in said valve body and having a restrictedly apertured end portion located in said raised hollow body portion.

5. A closed discharge line for a given capacity for a liquid dispensing apparatus of the character described, said line maintained iilled with a measured supply of liquid to be dispensed, a check valve at the supply end of the line and a valve controlled nozzle at the discharge end of the line between which the liquid is normally retained, and a pressure controlled relief valve comprising a hollow body located in the highest part of the line between said check valve and nozzle, an outlet tube extended into said body with its upper end portion provided with a minutely restricted aperture above the highest normal liquid level of the line, and a spring-pressed valve member normally elo-sing said aperture whereby to open upon pressure increase above normal and thereby liberate vapor and excess liquid so as to maintain the liquid in the line at normal volume and pressure.

6. A liquid dispensing apparatus of the character described having a pump and air separator, and including, a closed discharge line into which the liquid is supplied under pump pressure through the air separator, said separator having an air eliminator connected therewith and the eliminator having a vent tube leading upwardly therefrom and a drain tube leading downwardly therefrom, a valve controlled nozzle at the discharge end of the line, a check valve at the supply end of the line through which the liquid is passed from the air separator, and a pressure controlled relief valve located in said discharge line at the highest part thereof and between said nozzle and check valve, said relief valve having an outlet opening above the normal highest liquid level in the line and a discharge tube leading into said vent tube of the air eliminator.

ROSS E. RISSER. 

